University leads study of chronic disorders

The University is on track to become the national leader in investigations into the genetics of mental disorders, as well as metabolic and digestive diseases, said Jay Tischfield, the chair for Department of Genetics.
Only one month into the renewal of a $57.8 million grant awarded to the department, more than 45,000 samples have already been received and processed, Tischfield said.
“We were running before we hit the ground,” said Doug Fugman, the managing director and an associate research professor.
The Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository received this federal grant in late September, apart from a five-year renewal to fund ongoing research projects, he said.
“Both awards were the result of a competitive selection process that considered the scientific merit of the proposals and the past experience of the RUCDR,” according to an Oct. 27 press release.
According to the release, research funds will focus studies on cases of autism, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia.
In addition to maintaining the current research infrastructures, plans are underway to build a $3.7 million facility funded by University loans and contributions, according to the release.
Gene samples from as far as China and Europe will be coming into these centers, and these samples will be broken down into millions of points and individually examined, Fugman said.
“The goal is to find a genomic signature that identifies each of these disorders so that we can develop better diagnostic tools,” Tischfield said. “Second of all, we want to distinguish and develop a precise genomic way of determining what disease we have at hand.”
After 10 years of ongoing research, 2,000 samples of twin registry individuals from the Netherlands will be the next line of samples coming in, Fugman said.
“By working with twin pairs, sometimes you can decipher the epigenetic factors,” Fugman said.
Understanding how different medicines affect samples with different genetic make ups is one of the biggest obstacles, as some treatment options can be ineffective for clients with specific genetic compositions, Tischfield said.
With the granting of funds, researchers will be faced with quarterly reports and semiannual reviews to ensure their federal grant will not be cut.
One of the biggest advances Tischfield is working on to meet his first milestone period in five months is to create a private Web site that will allow clients to access the information processed, he said. These technological advancements will help boost research productivity and accuracy.
It will be a couple of years before the resources collected will reach a point where they are more publicly available, Fugman said. But as this research project is a continuation of current studies, the $57.8 million will help keep both the current and new studies available.

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